Design of dimpled tubular structures for energy absorption

In this study a novel type of tubular structure was proposed, in which predesigned ellipsoidal dimples were introduced into conventional circular tubes. The influence of various design parameters of the dimples on the mechanical properties was extensively investigated by finite element modelling and was experimentally validated by quasi-static tests on 3D printed brass tubes. The results showed that properly designed dimpled tubes had substantially lower initial peak force and remarkably less fluctuation in the crushing force than circular tubes, without significantly sacrificing the mean crushing force.